Psychotropic Utilization and Psychiatric Presentation of Hospitalized Very Young Children

Background: Despite the growth in use of psychotropics in preschoolers, little information is available about the clinical characteristics of very young children who receive psychotropics. No information, specific to young children, is available about the prescribing practices of physicians with the most extensive training in child psychopharmacology, i.e., child psychiatrists. Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence and nature of psychotropics prescribed by child psychiatrists to very young children with severe functional impairment secondary to psychiatric pathology, and to examine the clinical context in which these psychotropics were prescribed. Methods: The medical charts of 93 children, who were admitted consecutively to a psychiatric unit and who were less than 7 years old, were retrospectively reviewed. Results: The children (mean age, 5.4 ± 1.1 years) had a high rate of exposure to abuse or trauma (64.5%). Functional impairment, as measured on the Clinical Global Assessment...